civics :: essays research papers

What is Civnet? Civnet is a website of Civitas International for civic education practitioners (teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum designers), as well as scholars, policymakers, civic-minded journalists, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) promoting civic education all over the world. Objective Any healthy, fully functioning democracy requires a political culture composed of active participants who understand what it means to be democratic citizens. Though there may be free and fair elections in new and emerging democracies, there might not yet exist a democratic culture; i.e., people may be unaccustomed to voting, running for elective office, understanding how their government works, seeking out different sources of information to make informed choices, forming advocacy and public-interest groups to influence political outcomes in a consensus-building, non-coercive political system, and creating voluntary organizations to meet societal needs not met by government or the commercial sector. "Civil society" may be thought of as the third sector, and a foundation on which free, non-coercive, democratic polities must rest. Moreover, well-established democracies often witness increased apathy, atomization, and a dilution in citizen participation and civic behavior, as civic values are not properly reinforced and are allowed to go stale. Therefore, civic education at the pre-collegiate and collegiate levels is vital both to newer and older democracies, to ensure that future generations of citizens understand the values, mechanisms, and skills necessary to develop and maintain a democratic political system. Accordingly, an international coalition of concerned academics and representatives of non-governmental and governmental organizations formed Civitas International association and helped establish Civnet to address these needs by raising the profile of civic education, promoting civic education on the agendas of government policymakers throughout the world, enriching the debate on teaching methodology, establishing teacher-training programs, creating and distributing civics lesson plans, syllabi, curricula, text books, and teaching materials, and enabling civic education practitioners to network and share information, ideas, and resources. In addition to teachers, educators, and policymakers, many believe that journalists also have a role to play in highlighting solutions and citizen success stories, rather than merely reporting on societal problems. While Civitas International has many activities to achieve these aims, Civnet is unique in that it provides an international electronic resource where teachers may instantly receive and download teaching resources, scholars may read articles of thought and opinion, and use Civnet's links to find a world of other civic Web resources, and civic educators may read what their colleagues are up to in Civnet news, network with their counterparts in other organizations, and learn about upcoming civic events on the Civnet calendar.

Examine the Conditions Essay

Although one could easily isolate several specific variables that aided the parties rise, such as the failure of the GMD (Nationalist Party) or even The May 4th Movement, one must look at it more broadly to understand the bigger picture of the circumstances. When looking at this bigger picture, one can identify many key conditions under the political, social and economic aspects of the circumstances. Political may perhaps be the most abundant area of conditions for this particular analysis, as it contains the most aspects and conditions, and can be analyzed through a sort of timeline or chain of events. For example, one of the aspects prior even to the rivalry between the CCP and the GMD was the weakness of the previous government. Two examples can be seen here, both when the government failed to address the poverty and situation of the peasants (the huge lower class) as well as when the â€Å"Imperial government in China†¦ introduced a series of reforms†¦but they wielded too little political power† (IB Packet, 62). This goes to show the downfall of the previous government, which then lead to the 1911 Revolution. This revolution, also called the â€Å"Revolution of the Double Tenth,† was caused mainly by the scholar’s disappointment in the failed reforms, the â€Å"severe flooding and harvest failure in the south† (IB Packet, 62) and just general revolutionary conspiracy by the army. In 1912, this resulted in Dr. Sun Yatsen’s ruling of the newly created Republic of China. â€Å"On December 25, Dr. Sun was elected the provisional president of the Republic of China† (Leung, 52). The Warlord Era†, in turn, followed this, between 1916-1927. Yuan Shikai became president after Dr. Sun resigned, only to die 4 years later (1912-1916 was his rule), and â€Å"After Yuan died, the nation disintegrated into warlord groups and territories† (Leung, 59). During this time period is when the May Fourth Movement emerged, where 5000 students â€Å"held a huge demonstration against the decision†¦ to accept Japanese control of the former German concessionsâ₠¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Leung, 65). This movement was a huge success in that gradually, people no longer bought Japanese goods, Cao Rulin resigned, and no Chinese representatives signed the Treaty of Versailles. According to Chinese today’s historians, the movement was a â€Å"turning point between the modern and contemporary history of their country† (Leung, 67). Again during the Warlord Era was the â€Å"First United Front†, during which the GMD and the CCP fought together against the Japanese invader, only to see Chiang Kaishek (leader of GMD) â€Å"order a massacre of thousands of CCP members† (IB Packet, 64) in 1927. Manchuria, being a Chinese region, was full of agricultural products, opportunities and even mineral/natural resources. Ergo, Japan wanted to capture it, and this conflict led to a larger scale war, and by the end, â€Å"The war with Japan had left China exhausted and weak† (Leung, 99). Thus, this gave the possibility to the CCP (because they took more advantage of it) to rise and take power over the GMD. Thus, the social and economic aspects of China in the time period also had a rather large effect on China becoming ruled by a single party rule governed by Mao. In conclusion, political, social and economic conditions in China were altogether very responsible for the rise of the CCP. From the civil war (political) to the runaway inflation (economic) and even to the bad relations between the GMD and scholars (social), all these aspects make up what was to become Mao Zedong’s rule. Failures, mainly from the part of the GMD, also helped the CCP rise, such as the non-acknowledgment of the peasantry or even the failure to wipe out the CCP during the White Terror.

I Have A Dream Speech By Martin Luther King Jr. Essay

Activist and leader in the Africa American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr, speaks at the Lincoln Memorial to more than 200,000 people where he gives his famous â€Å"I have a Dream† speech, where he calls for the need of equal rights between blacks and whites. King’s purpose is to convince the American people that segregation is wrong and should be changed for future generations, encourage all African Americans into fighting until the end, and that segregation is wrong. He effectively achieves this through the use of many rhetoric’s to provide evidence that segregation and racism is not what America was built on. The 1950s through the 1970s were very harsh times for African-Americans due to the fact that they were not treated equally, just because of their skin color. During this time even laws protected these actions against African-Americans,for this reason Martin Luther King gave his I have a dream speech where he calls for unity and equality f or all African Americans. King begins his speech by comparing today as a day which will be remembered and will be known as the â€Å"greatest demonstration for freedom† (Para.1). He appeals to this comparison to get the audience excited, which worked, because there was applauses after King stated this. King uses historical documents like President Lincolns Gettysburg Address, and the Emancipation Proclamation, as well as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence where he begins by stating that â€Å"Five yearsShow MoreRelated`` I Have A Dream Speech `` By Martin Luther King Jr.2027 Words   |  9 Pagescitizens to have equality. In 1863, the United States of America joined other nations by emancipating those in bondage. Slavery had begun it’s way out in the modern world. However, due to years of indoctrination and social appropriation, there was a discord between those who were white and those who were colored. One hundred years after the emancipation proclamation was given, there was still social and systemic oppression and discrimination against colored people in American Society. Martin Luther KingRead MoreI Have A Dream Speech By Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.926 Words   |  4 PagesEquality of Some A little over 50 years ago, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his â€Å"I have a Dream Speech† in front of thousands addressing the racism in America. Though racism was a big issue in the United States during the 20th century, and may still be in a few areas today, he was not only addressing the problem of it, but the equality of men. In his speech he quoted words directly from the Declaration of Independence stating, â€Å"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live outRead MoreI Have A Dream Speech Written And Spoken By Martin Luther King Jr.1208 Words   |  5 PagesHave you ever wondered why or how politicians, motivational speakers, ministers, teachers and even parents get their message, lesson, or point across? The reason why is rhetoric, the way people chose to convey their message in a persuasive way. The use of different methods to get a message across is what makes politicians, speakers, minister, teachers and parents so successful in wha t they want people to think or do. When a certain person uses rhetoric they use what they know the people in the audienceRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr s I Have A Dream Speech1480 Words   |  6 PagesMovement, Martin Luther King Jr s I Have A Dream speech was broadcasted across the nation and heard by millions of Americans on August 28, 1963. Throughout the decades, many have promoted the importance of racial equality in America. Leaders such as William J. Clinton, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush have contributed to modern social movements by, doing as Dr. King himself, giving speeches to varying audiences concerning the issue of racial inequality. Above all, Martin Luther King Jr made the strongestRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr: I Have a Dream Speech Critique Essay1251 Words   |  6 PagesI HAVE A DREAM SPEECH CRITIQUE This speech took place on August 28, 1963 millions of citizens, children, law and policy makers attended while 250,000 watched on TV as a Baptist Preacher ,a Boston University Graduate Dr, Martin Luther King stood behind a podium. He established an immediate rapport with an ever changing audience and communicated on a meaningful level, by appealing to moral conscience of Americans standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He gave the rhetorical demandsRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.s I Have a Dream Speech Essay1988 Words   |  8 PagesFigures of Speech, (4) Logos: Nobile Diction, and (5) Logos: Arrangement. Notably, blacks for year’s fought hard to receive equal rights to those whites had. The late 1950s, early 1960s was a turning point for African-Americans with the establishment of the Civil Rights Era. The Civil Rights Era represented a social movement for blacks in hopes of ending racial segregation and discrimination, especially in the Jim Crow Deep South. At th e forefront of this movement was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who soughtRead MoreI Have A Dream Speech Delivered By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.1016 Words   |  5 Pagesracial discrimination have torn country apart and denied our God-given rights. It’s got to the point where Black people could not stand it anymore, so they fought back for their rights. In 1963, with the event in Birmingham, and the famous â€Å"I Have A Dream† speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which captured the world’s attention and had become the turning point of the Civil Rights Movements. There are many thoughtful citizens who recognize that race relations have shaped and defined ourRead MoreRhetorical Analysis of the I Have a Dream Speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.1219 Words   |  5 Pagesthroughout Washington D.C. August 28, 1963 as Martin Luther King Jr. paved the path to freedom for those suffering from racial segregation. It was the day of the March on Washington, w hich promoted Civil Rights and economic equality for African Americans. In order to share his feelings and dreams with the rest of the nation, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech encouraging all to overcome racial segregation. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech was very effective due to the use of metaphorsRead MoreAnalysis of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s I Have A Dream Speech619 Words   |  3 Pages28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most famous speeches of all time to an audience of more than 200,000 civil rights supporters on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In his, â€Å"I have a dream† speech, King addressed his encouragement of white and black people working together to achieve racial peace and harmony. He especially wanted to teach the young blacks that equality could be gained through the use of non-violence. The main reason King used nonviolenceRead MoreObservations On The s I Have A Dream Speech By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.881 Words   |  4 Pages5 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream Speech on the Washington Mall 47 years ago, and Mother Teresa was born a century ago. Monday: Katrina; Tuesday: I Have a Dream; Today: Mother Teresa After spending a great deal of time on and devoting a good deal of space to the two previous subjects in this series on recent anniversaries, 2005 s devastating Hurricane Katrina and the world-changing 1963 I Have a Dream speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I had looked forward